2022 Volume 61 Issue 4 Pages 622-631
Purpose: Sublingual immunotherapy for cedar pollinosis was first covered by insurance in Japan in 2014, and the age limit was removed in 2018. Thus, four years have passed since the start of treatment in pediatric patients. In this study, we examined symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in pediatric patients who received cedar sublingual immunotherapy from 2018 to 2020.
Methods: Symptoms and QOL were investigated during the 2021 cedar pollen dispersal period in pediatric patients (age 15 years or younger) who received sublingual immunotherapy for cedar pollinosis at Osaka Habikino Medical Center from 2018 to 2020. Patients who had used antihistamines and nasal sprays for at least one week before the 2021 cedar pollen dispersal period were surveyed at the same time and the results for the two groups were compared.
Results: Pollen dispersal in Osaka Prefecture in 2021 was slightly higher than that in a normal year. Symptom scores, QOL scores, and nasal symptom drug scores were lower in the sublingual immunotherapy group compared to those in the drug treatment group during the 2021 cedar pollen dispersal period. Nasal symptom drug scores in patients who started cedar sublingual immunotherapy in 2018 and 2019 were significantly lower than those in the drug treatment group. Nasal symptom scores did not differ significantly, but there were significant decreases in Face scale scores in the 2018 and 2019 start groups and for the VAS in the 2018, 2019, and 2020 start groups, compared to the drug treatment group.
Conclusion: These results indicate that sublingual immunotherapy is effective for cedar pollinosis. However, continued follow-up is needed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of this treatment.
